In today’s complex health care environment, effective care coordination is more important than ever. Primary care providers are uniquely positioned to lead care coordination, acting as the central hub for managing a patient’s health care needs. The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) surveys measure aspects of care coordination. It is typically administered each year between March and June.

Why it’s important

Following are a few reasons care coordination is important:

• Improved patient outcomes
  When primary care providers coordinate with specialists and other health care providers, patients receive more comprehensive care. This holistic approach can prevent chronic conditions from worsening, reduce hospital readmissions, and lower the likelihood of complications, especially for patients with multiple health conditions.
• Improved patient experience
  Patients benefit from a streamlined, efficient experience where they feel supported and heard. By ensuring communication between all involved health care providers, primary care providers help prevent the frustration that often comes with navigating complex health care systems.
• Reducing health care costs
  Effective care coordination helps prevent duplicate tests, unnecessary procedures, and avoidable hospitalizations. This not only saves money for patients but also helps reduce the financial burden on the health care system.

Survey topics

CAHPS surveys measure aspects of care coordination that your patients experience when receiving care from your office, specialists, hospitals, and other health care providers. Topics include:

• Did the patient receive timely follow-up on lab and test results?
• Did the provider’s office help the patient manage care among different providers?
• Did their provider seem informed about care they received from specialists?

Resources

Cigna Healthcare® Medicare Advantage has resources to help you and your team provide seamless care for your patients. You can request the following flyers from the Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality by contacting your Provider Performance Enablement representative:

• Team huddles 
  A five-minute team huddle is an opportunity for your team to connect, highlight plans for the day and align on any patient-specific information in advance of the day’s appointments.   
• Rapid referrals 
  Tips for an efficient referral process to ensure your patients know what, when, and where regarding tests, care, and treatment.
• Follow-up 
  Setting expectations for following up with your patients, executing care plans and sharing results in a timely manner help bolster engagement and the personalization of care and allow you to pivot if your patient requires additional support.
• Informed on specialist care and pre-visit preparation 
  Tips to help you and your staff prepare for patient visits. Being well-informed about your patients’ specialist care can keep appointments running smoothly and improve the patient experience by helping them feel heard and important.